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Freeha Hussain posing on her graduation day
18.08.2022

From traineeship to working full time – Freeha wants to stay in Finland forever

Freeha Hussain landed a traineeship already after her first term at the University of Vaasa. She graduated in May 2022 and is now working full time as an HR specialist in a global team at Wärtsilä. She points out that the help and support from counsellors and programme managers are extremely valuable and really made a difference in her career path.

Freeha has a Master’s in strategic HR from her studies in Pakistan. Her interest in Finland and especially the Finnish way of working sparked  as she heard about Finland from her professors who had studied in Finland.

– I did a lot of research on different universities, programmes and possible scholarships in Finland. The master’s programme in International Business at the University of Vaasa stood out. Imagine my happiness, when I applied and received a scholarship and finally was able to come to Finland! 

Successful studying and networking in Vaasa – despite the pandemic

Freeha arrived in Vaasa in the middle of the pandemic lockdown (autumn 2020). The campus was practically closed for the first year.  All lectures, meetings and activities were online. 

– I started to feel a bit unproductive although I was studying full time. In Pakistan, I was working, so I decided that I would do everything I can to get a job. I started to engage with people and seek out different activities and events to network and get to know people. I took on a lot of extra activities besides my regular studies and it paid off in the end. One of the first events I attended was a Talent Coastline event. Whenever I met new people, I added them on LinkedIn and started networking. This also helped me overcome loneliness and depressive feelings during the lockdown.

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